Incontri le Famiglie
by The Mauve Lantern
Summary: It's time for Tsuna to meet some of the allies of the Vongola family. However, they're all coming this week. Let's hope he can survive the next seven days! Title means 'Meet the Families'. R
1. Target 1: The Artist

**Incontri le Famiglie**

By The Mauve Lantern

**Target 1: The Artist**

BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBE-CLICK!

Tsuna groggily hit the "OFF" button on his plastic alarm clock, and slowly rose from his bed as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He sleepily made his way to his bedroom door as he thought, "Please let this be a boring day for once. I would do anything for it to be calm here." Sadly, that was not the case this morning, as the first thing he heard when he left his room was the sound of a bazooka going off, and a woman's voice scream out, "ROMEO!"

"Not again…" Tsuna thought to himself as he ran downstairs in an attempt to stop Bianchi from killing Lambo. AGAIN. He made it to the stairs before he was knocked aside by a handsome young man who was wearing a bathrobe; before he could recover, a girl with light purple hair ran past him, a cake covered with bugs in her hand.

"Eat THIS, Romeo!" Bianchi hollered at her "ex-boyfriend", not realizing that Lambo had simply shot himself with the 10-year bazooka. AGAIN.

Tsuna shook his head as he said, "It's way too early in the morning for this stuff to be happening." He made his way downstairs, not even bothering to check on Lambo, and walked into the kitchen, where he was greeted by his mother, who was preparing a light breakfast for herself.

"Good morning, sweetie!" she told Tsuna, a song in her voice, "I was just making some breakfast for the kids; do you want anything?"

"Just something small," Tsuna said as he plopped down into one of the chairs at the table. "I'm not feeling too hungry today."

"You're not sick, are you?" a small voice asked Tsuna. That voice belonged to his home tutor, Reborn, who walked into the kitchen with the Chinese assassin I-Pin and sat down across from his student. "You can't afford to be sick this week."

"Why's that?"

"Several mafia bosses will be coming to Namimori to visit you."

"WHAAAAAAAAT?!" Tsuna screamed as his chair fell to the floor. He got back up and asked Reborn, "How do you know?!"

"Because I am the one who invited them," the infant told him as he received a bowl of cereal from Tsuna's mother.

Tsuna slammed his hands on the table and shouted, "Why would you do something like that?!"

"You need to meet more of the families you will be working with, Tsuna. So far, you've only met Dino and Longchamp Naito, but those are just two pieces of the alliance between the families."

I-Pin nodded, and began to speak in Chinese, which Reborn translated for Tsuna: "I believe this will be prudent for you, o reptilian one."

Tsuna thought in his mind, "We really need to get her some glasses or something…" then he turned his attention back to his tutor, and, deciding that it would just be better to go along with what Reborn said, he asked him, "When does the first one show up?"

"My informants have told me that he's in town today, and looking forward to meeting you, Tsuna."

"What family is he the boss of?"

"The Mestiero Famiglia."

"Got it," Tsuna said as he began to eat his breakfast, "Wonder what this guy is like."

Reborn swallowed another mouthful of cereal, and told his student, "He's slightly eccentric."

Tsuna would have asked him more questions, but Reborn excused himself from the table and said that he had to go make some preparations. Getting back to his breakfast, Tsuna felt a little uneasy about this man…

***

After finishing breakfast and taking his morning shower, Tsuna walked out the door clad in his middle school's uniform, sort-of ready to meet the day. Thankfully, a couple of friendly faces greeted him out on the sidewalk.

"'Morning, boss!"

"Hey Tsuna, what's up?"

Hayato Gokudera and Takeshi Yamamoto. Two of his most trusted (and only) friends, and his chief guardians. Tsuna had decided, after the ring battles last week with the Varia, that these two were his closest comrades, and he offered them the positions of Chief Guardians, those closest to the boss.

That's not to say that Tsuna didn't trust his other guardians, it's more like…he wouldn't trust them with his life. He didn't know much about that Chrome Dokuro, except that she was connected to Mukuro Rokudo in some fashion. Kyoya Hibari, head prefect at Namimori Junior High and Tsuna's Guardian of Cloud, was extremely dangerous, and was more of a threat to Tsuna than a guardian.

Ryohei Sasagawa was, for lack of a better word, an idiot, and would probably injure himself before he could be much use to Tsuna. The same goes for Lambo, the Guardian of Thunder, who was currently living in Tsuna's house. These two, although friends with Tsuna, weren't exactly the brightest bulbs in the lamp.

Tsuna, the 10th boss of the Vongola family, greeted his friends with a smile and said, "Good morning Gokudera, Yamamoto! You ready for school?"

"You know it!" Yamamoto said as he gave Tsuna a hearty pat on the back, "I hear we're going to have an art show today!"

"Art show?"

Gokudera lit up a cigarette, and told his friend, "That's right, boss, an art show. There's going to be dancing, music, and even some singing; we'll also get to see some artwork set up around the gym."

NOW Tsuna remembered where he'd heard about this: the principal had said that, to raise interest in the art program at Namimori, a benefactor had set up a show that would display the various arts in hopes that it would get the kids interested in this stuff. Of course, Tsuna had no interest in the arts, considering he had no talent when it came to that stuff.

When he was five, he had tried to play a trumpet; it sounded like a dying animal. When he did finger-paint pictures in kindergarten, they turned out looking like barf. And he had never tried singing, but Tsuna knew that if he tried it, he'd be terrible at it. But I digress.

The three students walked along, minding their own business, when a young boy wearing a sweatshirt popped out from behind a wall and took a picture with his camera. CLICK! The light was blinding to Tsuna and his friends, but the boy paid no heed as he put the camera and said, "That's a keeper! Don't worry, I'll email it to you; see you later!"

"WHY YOU LITTLE-!"

Gokudera started to run after the kid, but Tsuna said, "Gokudera, wait! Just let him be; he's just a kid, after all."

"Though I wonder what he meant by having my email address…" Tsuna thought to himself as he walked along.

Before they got very far, the boys came across a dark-skinned girl who sat on the ground, up against the wall of a building, playing a guitar; what caught the boys' attention was that she was blind. Yamamoto removed a little change from his pocket, and tossed it into her open guitar cases, but the girl just smiled and said, "Gracias, amigo, but I don't need your money."

Takeshi laughed and replied, "Well, I just thought that, y'know-"

"I understand," the girl said, "But don't worry about me." She then stopped playing and put the guitar away, and bid the boys farewell, saying, "Adios, muchachos. And thanks for the money!"

"You're welcome!" Yamamoto shouted.

Tsuna thought to himself, "Wow, it's pretty eventful today; I wonder what else is going on?"

As if to answer his question, out popped Haru Miura and Kyoko Sasagawa, the girl that loved Tsuna and the girl that Tsuna loved, respectively. "Good morning, Tsuna!" they both said together as they walked up to the boys.

"G-Good morning, Kyoko," Tsuna said nervously, ignoring Haru completely, who was currently greeting Gokudera in her usual way.

"Good morning, lung cancer-boy."

"Good morning, nag."

Tsuna had been trying to get these two to get along for a while now, and tried to get them to at least speak politely to each other. It worked, kinda…

"What are you doing here?" Gokudera asked Haru, "Your school is all the way across town!"

Haru stuck her tongue out at him and said, "Our class is coming to your school for the art show! So there, Smokey!"

Gokudera had finally reached his boiling point, so he shouted, "THAT'S IT!" and he pulled some dynamite from his pockets. "I'M GONNA BOMB THE HELL OUTTA YOU!"

Yamamoto stepped between the two, and Tsuna said, "Gokudera, what did I say about bothering Haru?"

"But booooooooooss…"

"No 'buts', now apologize, please."

Gokudera growled, but an order from the boss was an order from the boss. He glared at Haru and mumbled incoherently, so that no one could understand what he was saying. Tsuna let out a heavy sigh, knowing that was probably the best he would get out of his "right-hand man".

Kyoko said to Tsuna, "Oh, I completely forgot! Tsuna, there's this street dancer up that way," as she pointed back in the direction she and Haru had come from.

"Yeah, the guy was really good, if a little rough-looking," Haru said as she bounced back over to Tsuna's side, "Do you want to go see the performer, Tsuna?"

Tsuna looked at his watch and told her, "We really can't; we'll be late for class!"

"Don't worry about it, Tsuna!" Yamamoto said to his friend as he put his arm around Tsuna's shoulders and pulled him close. "I'd kinda like to see this guy, too!"

Well, if the vote was three-to-two, Tsuna had to go along with it. "Okay," he said as he pushed himself out of Yamamoto's grip, "We can go see this guy for a few minutes; then, we have to go to school. Everybody got that?"

They all nodded, and Kyoko, Haru and Yamamoto smiled in anticipation; Tsuna and Gokudera both hung back, not entirely wanting to see the dancer.

A few blocks ahead, the group of students found the performer that the girls had been talking about: he had short, blonde hair, and wore a white tank-top and a pair of black sweat pants; his feet were covered by white sneakers with black markings on them. What stuck out the most, however, was the insane tattoo that ran up and down his arms, and seemed to lead onto his back.

The guy smirked, and began to bounce on his hand and perform all sorts of different dance moves. A few minutes passed, and Tsuna found himself entranced in the man's movements; there was a certain amount of grace to them, but at the same time, they were chaotic. It was kind of perplexing.

Finally, the man balanced on the ground with his head, and began to spin around; by Tsuna's guess, he had to have spun around twenty or so times! He dropped back to the mat, landing gracefully, and wiped away the beads of sweat that had appeared on his brow. The man looked up and saw Tsuna, and he smirked even more as he pulled out a cigarette; he asked Tsuna, "You thought that was cool? That ain't all I've got, y'know!"

"Huh? A-Are you speaking to me?"

The man didn't answer, and only walked away amidst applause from the gathered crowd. Tsuna wondered if the man had been talking to him, until he looked down at his watch. "Oh my GOSH!" he shouted, "WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE!"

All of them sprinted to the school, and now, after seeing everything that happened this morning, Tsuna had to admit, even HE was looking forward to the art show now…

***

Tsuna and his friends had bid farewell to Haru, who had to wait for the rest of her class to show up; she had, after all, decided to show up a couple hours ahead of schedule. When he tried to leave, the young Vongola boss was forced to pry himself from Haru's vice-like grip on him; the anxious boy had required the help of Gokudera and Yamamoto to get her off.

"FAREWELL, MY BELOVED TSUNA!" she had cried, collapsing on her hands and knees, one hand out in a vain attempt to grasp her love. "I'LL EAGERLY AWAIT YOUR RETURN!"

The 10th boss of the Vongola merely skittered away, his hands firmly planted on his ears to block out Haru's cries of love. "For the love of God, don't say my name out LOUD!" he cried in his head.

Gokudera voiced his boss's thoughts, shouting, "You need THERAPY, you psycho-bitch!" at the weeping girl. When Yamamoto gave him a look of disapproval, Hayato glared at the Rain Guardian. "What? Everybody's thinking it; I'm only saying it!"

"Still," the optimistic Takeshi responded, "You really ought to go easy on her. After all, she's just madly in love!" He turned to Tsuna and nudged him slightly with his arm, which threw the smaller boy off-balance. "Right, Tsuna? You lucky dog!" The smile on Yamamoto's face was a mix of jocularity and naivety.

"I'm not her boyfriend!" Tsuna screamed loudly, causing everyone in the hallway to turn and stare at the boy. "Uhhh, sorry, sorry!" he mumbled as he looked around and apologized for shouting his head off. As he made his way to his classroom, Tsuna thought to himself, "This couldn't get any worse…" Oh, how wrong he was.

While walking, Tsuna failed to notice the prefect that stepped out in front of him; the two bumped into each other, with Tsuna falling to the ground. He started to make another, meeker apology, but he was stopped by a metal tonfa, which hung mere centimeters from his face. Looking up the weapon, he found the owner: Head Prefect, Kyoya Hibari, the deadliest kid in school.

Hibari glared slightly at Tsuna with his fox eyes. "Hmm…" he murmured as he began to spin the tonfa around, "What's an herbivore like you making so much noise this early in the morning for, hmm? And to also get dirt on the shoes of a prefect not a moment later." Tsuna's Cloud Guardian raised the tonfa, still spinning, and asked, "Do you want to die today, before the art show? If you do, I shall gladly bite you to death."

He swung the tonfa down, and Tsuna felt certain doom as he shut his eyes and raised his arms in a vain attempt to defend against the lethal blow. When he did not feel the violent touch of Hibari's weapon, the boy hesitantly opened his eyes to find Yamamoto standing before him, his steel bat blocking the tonfa. A serious look had spread across his face, not unlike the time he fought Squallo.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you hurt Tsuna," he said to Hibari, "Besides, I'm sure it would be all right if Tsuna apologized for you, right?" The baseball player turned back to his friend and smiled, despite the obvious strain from holding back the head prefect.

Tsuna nodded feverishly, and spoke so quickly, it was a miracle that Hibari could even understand him. "I'msososososososososososorrypleaseforgivemeIdidn'tmeanit!"

Surprisingly, Hibari retracted his tonfa. He shut his eyes and sighed before opening them again and glaring at Tsuna. "This guy is too scary…" the young Vongola thought to himself.

"I shall overlook it this time, herbivore," the prefect grumbled, "Only because you were in that battle for the rings last week. The baby told me to give you a reprieve for one week, and he'll fight me. Naturally, I accepted; consider yourself lucky." He turned his back to Tsuna and wrapped himself in his prefect jacket like a cape. Before he left Tsuna, he told him one last thing: "Don't abuse this reprieve, Sawada, or I will surely bite you to death." With that, the violent Hibari walked away, threatening to bite any herbivore that dared to loiter in the hallways.

Gokudera rushed immediately to his shaky boss's side. "Boss! Are you all right?!" he asked, his voice drowning in concern. Tsuna didn't hear his question; he was too focused on wondering how he had survived a confrontation with Hibari unscathed.

"Did…Did Reborn save my life?" he thought to himself.

A familiar voice said to Tsuna, "Yes, I did, Loser-Tsuna."

Tsuna and his guardians turned to find Reborn sitting in a windowsill, his legs dangling over the side lazily. Leon, the chameleon that was perched atop his head, had changed his body into the form of a fan, which the young assassin was using to cool himself down.

"Why'd you stop Hibari from beating me?" Tsuna asked his tutor.

"I did it because you, the 10th boss of the Vongola family, need to save your energy for meeting with the various bosses."

Yamamoto chuckled and said, "Tsuna, what does he mean by 'other bosses'? Are they other people playing 'Mafia'?" His boss stared at him with a blank face in reply. Yamamoto was picked to join the family not for his smarts, but his athletic abilities. This was most obvious whenever he brought up the fact that he STILL thought that the world of the mafia was nothing more than a game. Even though he had just fought for his life naught but a week ago, the baseball player still believed that everything was just some game, like one of those videogames that people played on-line with others from around the world.

"Yes," Reborn told the Rain Guardian, "Yes, Tsuna will be meeting with other players. Including their guardians, so you, Gokudera, Ryohei, Hibari, Chrome and that stupid cow will need to be near the boss at all times. Understand?"

"Sure thing!" Yamamoto wrapped his arm around Tsuna's shoulders. "We'll be thick as thieves, right, Tsuna?"

"Y-Y-Yeah." In actuality, the last thing Tsuna wanted was to be with his guardians all the time for the next week. "I am fairly certain," he bemused to himself, "That someone is going to die this week."

Gokudera grew infuriated with Yamamoto's closeness to the boss, so he yanked him away and said, "Boss, don't you worry! I'll be by your side throughout this entire week!"

"You don't have to do that, Gokudera." Tsuna REALLY did not want to be so close to his dynamite-wielding Storm Guardian. "And I've got the suspicion that one that'll die is ME!"

Before they could go into further discussion, the bell rang, signaling the boys to head to their homeroom. As they walked away, Reborn waved and said, "I'll be seeing you three at the assembly later on. Arrivederci!"

Tsuna waved in reply, and mumbled, "Well, there's one headache out of the way…" As he walked into his classroom, however, he was greeted by the mother of all migraines: his obnoxiously loud classmate, Longchamp Naito.

"YO! Wassup, Tenth?!"

Longchamp was another mafia boss, like Tsuna: he was the future head of the Tomaso family. Despite his prestigious title, Longchamp was extremely bizarre in everything he did. His hair was short and spiky, dyed to be orange-red, and the clothes he always wore seemed to be very disheveled and mismatched. Somehow, he had gotten away with putting patches on his school uniform; these patches came from the mountain of junk in his bedroom, or, as Tsuna had taken to calling it, "pile of amazingly-useful useless crap". Longchamp's socks were always mismatched, and he wore an excessive amount of 'bling' around his neck, wrist, and fingers.

The Tomaso heir grinned at Tsuna with his goofy, plastered-on smile. "Come to think about it," the young Vongola thought to himself, "I've never seen Longchamp NOT smile!"

"You ready to see the art show today?!" he asked, shouting at the top of his voice.

"Uh, yeah, Longchamp."

"I think it's gonna ROCK!" To add emphasis to his statement, Longchamp pumped his fists into the year while banging his head. "MUSIC! DANCE! ART! SINGING! It's gonna be AWESOME!"

They were interrupted in their conversation by a loud, booming voice that filled the classroom. "LONGCHAMP! YOU SHOULD NOT BE TALKING WITH VONGOLA SCUM!" Bursting into the room was Longchamp's own mentor, Mangusta. He was an excessively tall man, who was very slender, and always had a hidden sniper rifle on his person at all times, not unlike Reborn; for some reason, he had a deep hatred of the Vongola, and often called Tsuna names because of this.

"It's cool, it's cool, Mangusta!" Longchamp turned back to Tsuna and slapped him on the back. "Well, maybe I'll see you at the show, Tsuna. SEE YA!" With a tug from Mangusta, he vanished out the classroom door, everybody wondering what exactly had just happened.

It was Yamamoto who broke the awkward silence. "Haha! Well, that was weird!"

"I wonder if ALL these mafia bosses will be as weird as Longchamp," Tsuna thought to himself. "Let's just hope that the assembly is better."

***

An hour later, Tsuna and his class made their ways to the gymnasium, where students were pouring in from every entrance. He had to wonder for a moment if everybody was going to fit into the building, given that a large section in the entrance was filled with dozens of canvases of artwork, as well as the occasional sculpture and strange, metal constructs that he had to wonder was art or not. In the middle of the gym was a section for the upperclassmen to sit, and in front of that was an impromptu stage that had been built a week ago for the performers.

"I guess," Tsuna said to Gokudera and Yamamoto, "That we have to sit up in the top section of the bleachers."

"But we'll miss the show on the stage if we sit there!" whined Yamamoto.

"Yeah, the boss deserves better!" Gokudera surreptitiously pulled a stick of dynamite from his pants pocket and asked, "Want me to clear out a section in the center for you, boss?"

"NO! Nonono! Put the dynamite away; we don't need it!" The explosive Storm Guardian reluctantly put the dynamite back into his pocket as Tsuna began heading for the bleachers. He was stopped by a tugging on his pant leg. When he looked down, he found his tutor was there, pointing to the center of the gymnasium.

He said to the three boys, "You have a special section up front, Tsuna. Everybody's here."

Tsuna gulped in nervousness. "E-Everybody's here?"

Reborn nodded and led Tsuna and his two guardians to the front row of the central seating, where Kyoko and her brother Ryohei were sitting, along with Haru, Bianchi, Lambo, and I-Pin. Lambo was hopping up and down excitedly, eagerly waiting for something to occur; I-Pin was much more patient, and was placed on Bianchi's lap, her hands folded in meditation.

"Tsuna!" Haru jumped out of her seat and grabbed his arm and began to nuzzle it. "I missed you so much!"

"You were only gone for an hour!"

"Every moment I am apart from you is agony!"

Gokudera again pried Haru off the boss's arm, and threw her back at her seat. Tsuna walked over to Kyoko, thinking, "I have to get a seat with Kyoko, I have to get a seat with Kyoko!" Before he could sit down, however, that seat was taken by Reborn, and the other seat was occupied by her brother, who was fidgeting from having to sit down and remain as still as possible.

Finally, he could not take it anymore. The white-haired boy jumped up in his seat and shouted, "I GOTTA HAVE SOME SOMETHING TO PUNCH!" Ryohei was still recovering from his fight with the Varia last week, so Kyoko simply pulled him back into his seat. This was Tsuna's Sun Guardian, the one whose duty it was to invigorate those around him; right now, this was not exactly the best thing to do.

"Sit down, big brother; you're embarrassing Tsuna and the others!" Kyoko looked at Tsuna with sorry eyes, saying, "Sorry about this, Tsuna. You know how he can get sometimes."

"Ah, Sawada!" Ryohei finally realized that his boss had arrived. "Glad to see that you came! When are you gonna join the Boxing Club!?" Typically, this was the direction most of the conversations between Tsuna and Ryohei took; Tsuna would show up, and if Ryohei was there, he would practically force the boy to join the boxing team.

Tsuna waved his hands and sheepishly grinned, all the while backing away from the excited boy. "Uh, no thanks, Ryohei. I have…a medical condition that keeps me from boxing!"

"Yeah, a condition called 'bleeding'!"

The young Vongola boss turned in the direction of the taunt to find three students who definitely did NOT belong at Namimori Junior High: Ken Joshima, Chikusa Kakimoto, and Chrome Dokuro, his Mist Guardian. These three lived by themselves in an abandoned health center in the town of Kokuyo; all three were loyal to an assassin/ex-mafioso named Mukuro Rokudo, who was currently imprisoned somewhere in Italy. Ken was a feral, nasty fellow who had the ability to take on any animal trait as long as he put their fangs into his mouth. Chikusa, a quiet, very neutral guy, wore glasses and a beanie, and fought with a pair of yo-yos that release a storm of needles when they spin through the air.

Chrome was special in her own way: she could not live if Mukuro died, and Mukuro had no connection to the physical world if Chrome died. The violet-haired girl was an illusionist, and was slowly training her abilities so that she might be of some use to her new boss, Tsuna Sawada. She had fought valiantly in the battle for the rings, but she had needed help from Mukuro in order to defeat her opponent; things will be different, the next time she engages in combat. Someday, she hopes to be of use to her boss.

Tsuna had grown somewhat-used to Ken's creepy demeanor, so he was bold enough to ask, "What are you guys doing here!?"

"We wanted to see the show," Chikusa replied in a monotone voice. "Besides, the baby wanted Chrome to attend."

"Yeah!" snarled Ken, his tongue waggling from his mouth. "And if we lose this creepy girl, we lose our connection to our boss!"

Tsuna nodded, and looked around for a chair. When he was about to give up and sit on the floor, a meek voice said, "Boss, there's a seat over here." The young Vongola turned to Chrome, who nodded her head towards a seat to her right that was vacant.

He smiled and replied, "Thanks, um…Chrome." She did not smile, but she did nod in response. When he took his seat, she gazed at him with her one eye (her right eye was covered by an eye-patch) as if trying to tell Tsuna something telepathically. "Uh, can I help you, Chrome?"

She looked down and played with the hem of her skirt. "I…I never properly thanked you, boss, for saving me during the Ring Tournament." Chrome turned to her boss again and then quickly gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Thank you."

Tsuna's face turned crimson, and he touched his cheek as Chrome turned her attention back to the stage. "Y-You're welcome."

"What a strange girl," he thought to himself. "She's an illusionist, she, maybe, has a connection to Mukuro, and she is wearing an eye-patch. How mysterious can a girl get?" He looked at her again, and this time, he noticed that she was wearing the Mist Ring that she had fought for. "I...I guess I can trust her. I just need to give her a little time, that's all."

***

The art show began a few minutes later, and Tsuna was really grateful to Reborn for getting the seats in the front. Up in the front row, he and his friends (and Hibari, who sat at the very end of the row) were beholden to a fantastic choir and a delightful a cappella group, as well as a team of dancers that seemed to fly and float about the stage, their movements mesmerizing and entrancing. Even Hibari, who usually paid little attention to the events at assemblies, had his eye caught by the talent that filled the stage. In the final act of the show, a full orchestra had come onstage to perform several numbers for the students, a mystical noise dispersing through the gymnasium, entrancing every student, except for one.

Chrome had had little sleep the night before due to Ken hogging the sofa and the only bed missing under a pile of rubble. The poor girl had slept in one corner of their make-shift headquarters, lying on the cold, hard tile floor; she was forced to use an old coat from an abandoned 'Lost and Found' box as a blanket. Because of this, she had begun yawning almost immediately at the start of the show; by mid-way, the Mist Guardian's head had fallen onto her boss's shoulder, sending a blush across his face.

"Wow," Tsuna thought to himself, "She must be really exhausted!" He forgot her presence, however, when the dancers came onstage. During the final dance, which was something from _The Nutcracker_, Tsuna had accidentally shifted his shoulder, causing Chrome's head to fall from his shoulder and onto his lap. His face exploded in red; the boy almost moved her, but then he saw her face contort in fear. A meek whimper escaped from her lips. Benevolently, Tsuna let her remain there on his lap. "Thiiiiiis is awkward," he thought, "But she looks peaceful; I don't think she should be disturbed."

The show finally ended after a small acting troupe had performed select scenes from William Shakespeare. With uproarious applause, the students all rose from their seats in a standing ovation, with some even demanding an encore. The only ones to not clap were Hibari, who was too cool for applause, Chrome, who slept soundly, and Tsuna, who was trying to let the girl in his lap sleep. After a moment, the curtains opened, revealing the school principal.

"And now," he said, "We have a word from the sponsor of this whole event: Leonardo Simoni!" Another man joined the principal on stage, though he was much more interesting and unique.

Simoni was a tall, lithe young man who had brown hair that was styled in a pompadour, akin to the musician Elvis Presley. He wore a white jacket that sparkled from all the jewels and studs on it, and there were tassels that hung from the forearm of the sleeves. His pants were similar, with a line of jewels and studs running up and down the sides. White cowboy boots adorned his feet, and a large pair of black sunglasses adorned his face.

"Thank you, thank you very much," he said in a deep voice, American in its roots. He signaled for the students to settle down and cease their applause, which they did. "I'm here," he told them, "For two reasons: first, to show that art is very important in the school curriculum," the artistic students and teachers in the school whooped and hollered throughout the gymnasium, "And two, I wanted to show a colleague just what I have to offer."

He looked out into the audience and began searching for his target. "Is there a Tsunayoshi Sawada in the audience?"

"He's right here, Leo." Reborn was right on his student's shoulder.

"How did he get here so fast?" Tsuna wondered to himself.

On stage, Simoni flicked a comb out from his pocket and ran it through his hair. "It's an honor to meet you, young Vongola. I am Leonardo Simoni, the 9th boss of the Mestiero Famiglia, and this is my family!"

There was silence for a second, until Tsuna shouted, "WHAT?!?"

This was going to be an interesting week, indeed…


	2. Target 2: The Artist and his Guardians

**Incontri le Famiglie**

By The Mauve Lantern

**Target 2: The Artist and his Guardians**

"YOU'RE the boss of the Mestiero Family?!"

Tsuna Sawada, 10th boss of the Vongola Family, sat on a metal, blue folding chair in the band room of Namimori Middle School. Sitting across from him was Leonardo Simoni, the 9th boss of the Mestiero Family. Gathered around Tsuna were his Guardians: Gokudera and Yamamoto to his left and right, respectively, Ryohei to the far right, Lambo on his head, and Chrome a considerable distance from the group. Hibari, Tsuna's "Lone Wolf" Guardian, had declined the invitation to stay after the Fine Arts assembly.

"I have some business to take care of," he had told them cryptically. "Get in my way, and I shall certainly bite you to death."

The Guardians were not the only members of Tsuna's family attending this meeting: Reborn was there, for obvious reasons, while Bianchi had led Kyoko, Haru, and I-Pin into the room so that she might be with Reborn. Currently, I-Pin was nibbling on a meat bun, while Kyoko sat with her hands folded in her lap.

Leonardo ran his tanned fingers through his chocolate brown hair and adjusted his sunglasses. This Mafioso was clad in a costume that was reminiscent of Elvis Presley, and he certainly seemed to be the King of rock and roll reincarnate.

"Uh, yes I am. I'm, uh, Leonardo Simoni, head of the Mestiero Family. It's an, uh, honor to meet you, Decimo!" The man slouched back in his chair, obviously bored, and kicked his feet up onto the teacher's podium. Leonardo was a long, gangly man, who spoke with a Southern-American accent like the late Elvis Presley.

Tsuna couldn't even comprehend how such an odd fellow could be a Mafioso. "Aren't these people supposed to be threatening or something?!" he thought to himself. "I mean, Longchamp's not that bad, considering he's totally insane, but at least Dino is strong when he has his whip with him! How is THIS guy able to protect himself?!?"

"Leonardo, long time, no see!" Reborn, the infant hitman of the mafia, tipped his hat to Leonardo, who smiled lazily.

"Same here, Reborn; it's been a while, hasn't it?"

The 10th Vongola glanced back and forth between his tutor and the Mestiero boss. "Wait, you two KNOW each other?!"

"Of course," Reborn told his student, "I tutored him when he was your age, Tsuna."

"'Course, that was, like, ten or fifteen years ago!" Leonardo leaned further back in his chair and began to hum a little tune to himself. "I've gotten a lot better since then, Reborn."

"I'm sure you have."

While Tsuna was talking with Leonardo and Reborn, his guardians were concerning themselves with other matters. Gokudera was anxiously tapping his foot on the ground, while Yamamoto just smiled and looked around the room. After taking a look around the band room a few times, he whispered to Gokudera, "Wow! I've never been in HERE before! This is pretty cool, huh?"

The dynamite-wielding boy spun around in his seat and hissed, "Shut up, you fool! Can't you see that we're in the presence of another boss?!"

"Another boss? You mean, like another guy who plays mafia with Tsuna?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever. The point is that you have to be respectful and be calm and patient!"

Yamamoto waited a moment before giving Gokudera the "O.K." sign and spinning around in his seat. "Well," the Storm Guardian mumbled, "at least that got you to shut up…"

***

Ryohei was standing apart from Tsuna's group; not that he didn't think the boss was cool or anything, but the conversation wasn't, shall we say, "extreme" enough for the boxer. Right now, the Sun Guardian wanted nothing more than to get into the ring and punch something. Since he wasn't in a ring, however, he made do by practicing with his reflection in the mirrors on the other side of the room.

"Come on, Ryohei!" he shouted as he punched at the reflective glass, "Is that all you got?! IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?!?" Suddenly, he noticed something. That reflection…it was doing the same thing HE was doing! If Ryohei jumped to the left, the figure in the mirrors would follow; if the boy went for a right hook, the other boy would do a left hook.

"Are you…are you MOCKING ME!?!?" The boy in the mirror shouted the same thing. "So you ARE mocking me!!! Well, get ready for a beat-down, EXTREME STYLE!!!!!" He unleashed a powerful punch at the mirror, shattering the glass and spraying it around him like water.

"BIG BROTHER, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?"

Kyoko ran over to her brother and grabbed him by his left ear. "Didn't I tell you not to do stuff like this?! Now we have to pay for this!"

"Sorry, Kyoko, it's just that kid in the mirror was mocking me so much!"

"That's your reflection," she sighed.

Bianchi sauntered over to the siblings and surveyed the damage. "Don't worry about it," she told them, "Tsuna can pay for this."

Both of them perked their heads up. "Really?!" they shouted simultaneously, to which the poison chef nodded.

"Tsuna," Kyoko thought to herself while Bianchi offered Ryohei a tainted rice cake, "You are so kind…"

***

Elsewhere, Chrome was sitting in a folded chair in a corner of the room. The illusionist was twiddling her fingers, her face holding a faint blush. She still remembered when she woke up after the art show…

_There was silence for a second until Tsuna shouted, "WHAT?!?" He shot out of his chair at that moment, completely forgetting that Chrome was asleep in his lap. Unfortunately, Tsuna had risen too fast, and so poor Chrome fell to the floor, which was a very bad way to wake up._

"_Ow!" she shrieked as she hit the wooden floor. The violet-haired girl lifted her head painfully, her hand futilely attempting to alleviate the agony. She looked up at her boss, wondering what had caused her to fall to the floor. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep, but that was it._

"_You have a good nap, Sleeping Beauty?"_

_Chrome looked up to find Ken and Chikusa standing over her, the latter lifting her up by her arm. Ken was smirking wickedly, exposing his beast-like fangs to the world. "You dozed off when the show was just getting started!" he chuckled._

"_Re-Really?"_

_Chikusa nodded. "Yes. And then you fell asleep on Vongola's shoulder. I imagine it was most awkward for the boy."_

_When her guardian told her this, Chrome blushed heavily. She had fallen asleep on her boss's shoulder?! "Di-Did anything else h-happen?!?"_

"_Oh yeah!" Ken laughed hysterically. "You, hahaha, you slipped off his shoulder at the end and, hahah, you landed on his lap! HAHAHAHA!" If Chrome wasn't embarrassed before, she certainly was now._

"_O-O-O-Oh n-n-n-n-n-noooooo!" she screamed in her head. "What will the boss think of me?! Does he think I was flirting with him?! What will I doooooooooo?!?"_

_Chikusa readjusted his glasses before telling her, "While you head to your meeting with your boss, Ken and I are going to get groceries. Be back by 7:15."_

"_Or we'll hunt you down, ugly girl!" Ken leaned forward with his sharpened fingernails menacingly, effectively terrifying Chrome. The meek girl scooted away from the scary man and instinctively reached out for something to hold on to. What she did grab was soft, and felt like fabric; the one-eyed girl hesitantly turned her head to what she had a hold of. It was Tsuna's leg, and his attention had finally been torn away from Leonardo, who had sauntered off the stage._

_The Vongola boss and his Guardian stared at each other for a few seconds before Tsuna realized that he had knocked Chrome to the floor. "AH! Chrome, I'm sososo sorry! I completely forgot that you were asleep and I got out of my seat and you must have hit the floor and I'm so sorry an-"_

_Chrome blushed heavily and looked away. "I-It's okay, boss; I didn't notice…" she mumbled as she closed her eyes and tried to make herself vanish into thin air._

_Tsuna reached out a hand to the purple-haired girl and gently grabbed her wrist. "Here, let me up," he said calmly, though a look of worry was still imprinted on his face. "I'll get you some ice for your head; would you go to the band room, please?" Chrome nodded slowly and felt herself rising off the ground. After Tsuna pulled her up, he smiled slightly and asked, "You're not hurt badly, are you?"_

_Chrome meekly whispered, "No," and cast her head down as she fidgeted with her fingers._

"_I'm glad," Tsuna said as he turned around to head for the nurse's office. "Tell Reborn I'll be there in a minute!" Chrome nodded again, but she wasn't really paying attention at that point. The boss was…taking care of her? He was helping her, even though she had been the one who inconvenienced him by sleeping on his shoulder and lap??? _

"_He was…so…warm," she mumbled to herself as she remembered her peaceful slumber earlier. While she was sleeping, the quiet girl had felt something like a warm breeze that encompassed her entire body, leaving her at ease and peaceful. _

"_What is this feeling?" she asked herself, though she hardly knew the answer. Before she could delve any further into the mysteries of her heart, however, the jocular baseball player that worked for the boss walked over to her._

"_Yo!" he said as he waved his hand in greeting. "You're Chrome, right?" _

_The young girl nodded and whispered, "I am. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Yamamoto."_

"_Hahaha! There's no need for formalities! You can just call me Yamamoto if you want!"_

"…_Very well then, Mist- Yamamoto. Could you…could you show me which way it is to the band room?"_

"_Sure thing!"_

So here she was, curled up into a ball on the far side of the Namimori band room, alone, like always. It wasn't that Chrome did not WANT to join the group; it was more like she did not know HOW to join. After all, what was she supposed to say? "Hello, I'm your new Mist Guardian, and, oh, by the way, I have a telepathic link to the man who tried to kill you one time. No hard feelings, right?" Chrome placed her head in her hands and choked back a little sob.

"I shouldn't have come," she mumbled to herself. "They'll hate me when they learn who I really am, I'm sure of it!"

"Hate you for what?"

Chrome lifted her head from her hands to see who was talking to her. It was some brown-haired girl, with slightly slanted eyes and a school uniform that was different from the boss's and the other guardians. She seemed to be Chrome's height, or maybe she was a little taller; the purple-haired girl could not tell. This girl seemed to be concerned about Chrome.

"Hi, we haven't met! I'm Haru Miura, Tsuna's bride-to-be!" She extended a hand to Chrome in a gesture of friendship. "You're one of his Guardians, right?"

"Y-Yes," Chrome said in a soft voice, "I'm Chrome Dokuro, the Mist Guardian for Vongola Decimo."

"Nice to meet you!" There was a small child with Haru, who was dressed in a gi, and had black hair pulled into a braid. "This is I-Pin. Can you say 'hi', I-Pin?"

"IT'S A PINEAPPLE MONSTER!" the vision-impaired girl screamed in Chinese before cowering behind the leg of Haru. Chrome was taken aback by I-Pin's comment, even if she couldn't understand it.

Haru lifted the Chinese girl onto her shoulders. "Sorry about that! I-Pin doesn't really know any Japanese yet."

"That's…that's okay," Chrome said, her voice a little louder than before.

"Come on, join the group! I think that Leonardo guy's about to say something important!"

"I-I-I don't want to be a burden!"

"Nonsense!" Haru exclaimed as she grabbed Chrome's hand and tugged her along to the center of the room. "Reborn said that everyone needs to be here to listen, so you should be over here as well!" Chrome did not put up much of a fight as the excited girl pulled her over to the boss and the other guardians; she was still in shock that someone had tried to initiate a conversation with her.

"Is…Is this what it's like to have friends?" the violet-haired girl asked herself as she quietly sat down in a chair that was just behind the boss.

When Chrome sat down, Tsuna turned around in his chair and asked her, "Is your head feeling any better, Chrome?" This question made the meek girl remember that the boss had given her a bag of ice earlier; she hadn't used it, but just held onto it.

"Y-Yes, boss," she replied quietly, with several quick nods of the head.

"Easy there," Yamamoto chuckled as he placed his hand lightly on Chrome's, in an effort to get her head to stop bouncing up and down. "You do that, it'll be your NECK that hurts!"

"Sorry, Yamamoto…"

Gokudera snarled a little. "As you should be." In response, Ryohei punched the boy in the face.

"NEVER ABUSE A LADY!" the white-haired boy roared. "I'll show you how to talk to a girl! EXTREME COURTESY!" Ryohei bent down so that he was seeing eye to eye with Chrome, who had scooted back in her chair as the crazy boxer drew closer.

"ARE YOU OKAY?!?" he shouted at the top of his lungs, "DO YOU NEED MEDICAL RESISTANCE???" Chrome didn't respond, as she was a little more focused on the spittle that had landed on her face. Luckily, a kind girl, who she knew as "Kyoko Sasagawa", came over with a handkerchief in her hand.

As she gently wiped off Chrome's face, the girl scolded her brother. "Big Brother, how many times have I told you not to get so close to people when you're talking to them?"

"Sorry, Kyoko…"

Before anything else could happen, however, a gun went off in the room. That gun belonged to Reborn, whose face was neutral and stoic. Normally, this meant that he was furious, and this was no different than any other time her had to rope in the bozos that composed the next generation of the Vongola Famiglia.

"If you are all done," he said as he put the gun down, "I believe Leonardo was going to tell us a little about himself. Unless you guys want me to shoot Tsuna here, you will sit down and pay attention."

"WHY DO I HAVE TO GET SHOT?!?"

"Quiet, you." Reborn smacked the young boss with the pistol to silence him. He raised his head slightly so that everyone could see his stone-cold eyes. "Anyone else?" he asked as he tapped his gun against his tiny hand.

At that moment, Lambo woke up from his position on Tsuna's head. "What're you guys talking about?" the little assassin asked, "Poop?"

Reborn hit the Bovino child in the face with a mallet as he said, "Shut up, you moronic cow!" The child went flying out the open window, leaving everyone to wonder if he was all right. Kyoko and Haru both ran out of the room to go retrieve the small child, while I-Pin followed with Bianchi, who had a first-aid kit in her hands. This left the Tsuna and his male guardians, Chrome, Reborn, and Leonardo alone in the band room.

"Now that that's out of the way," Reborn turned to Leonardo, "I believe you wanted to introduce us to your guardians."

"That's, uh, that's right." Leonardo rocked backwards in his chair as he scratched his chin with his finger. "'Course, I'm wondering if they'll, uh, come or not."

"They should come," Reborn told his student.

Leonardo smiled and nodded his head lazily. "You're right." He then pulled a guitar out of nowhere and began to strum out a few notes.

"There," he said as he set the guitar down, "They should be here in a, uh, few minutes."

Reborn glanced at Tsuna, who seemed a little lost, and answered the question that was plaguing the boy. "Yes, Tsuna, there are specific guardians for each family in the Mafia."

"Are they all like ours?" he asked.

"No, they aren't; in fact, most families follow a different selection process then ours. The idea, however, remains the same: the strongest members of the family, and the most loyal to the boss."

"Are the Mestiero family's guardians like ours?" Tsuna looked back and forth between Leo and Reborn, not exactly caring who answered.

It was Leonardo who said, "Sorta. We have, uh, guardians that represent the various forms of art. So they aren't, y'know, like weather."

A high-pitched voice exclaimed, "You make it sound so simple, Leo!"

The Vongolas turned to the door, where a young girl now stood. She had a petite and limber body, and she seemed to be no taller than Tsuna. Pale blue hair fell in curls around her face, and she had a dazzling smile, with lavender irises in her eyes. A white blouse covered her torso, though the top two buttons were open, revealing a pink tank-top beneath, and there was a flowing, rose-red skirt wrapped around her waist. Soft, white shoes adorned her feet, and they made nary a sound as she glided along the floor.

Leonardo pointed with his thumb towards the girl and said, "Everyone, this is my Balera Guardian, Gianetta."

"Hiiiiiiiii!" The pale-haired girl wiggled her fingers in greeting, and danced over to an open chair that was placed next to her boss. She was very poised in her posture, and she had her hands folded in her lap.

"What's 'balera' mean, Leonardo?" Tsuna asked, although he had a hard time taking his eyes away from Gianetta.

Before the Mestiero boss could respond, Gianetta sprung out of her chair. "I'll SHOW you!" she cheered as she tore away her blouse and skirt, which caused the Vongola boys to all develop nosebleeds. Underneath her clothes, as it turned out, was a pink leotard, which featured a pair of white wings on the front. She carefully balanced on the chair with one leg, then leaped through the air effortlessly, spinning around several times before landing gracefully amidst the broken glass that was left behind from Ryohei's punch.

"Watch out!" Tsuna shouted, but she ignored him. Gianetta shut her eyes and nimbly leaped _between_ the scattered shards avoiding each and every one. Finally, she removed herself from the field of glass with a magnificent leap, which brought her back to her chair. She crashed down into the chair, and pulled a rope, causing a cascade of water to fall on her.

"Amazing!" Ryohei howled.

"That was something else!" Yamamoto exclaimed as he clapped his hands.

"B-B-Beautiful!" Chrome whispered, a glimmer of awe and envy in her eye.

"Not bad," Gokudera grumbled, his eyes, which were wide with shock and recognition, betraying him.

"Where did the bucket of water come from?" Tsuna asked, though his question went unheard amidst the praise.

Gianetta shook her hair, sending water all over the place. "Graci, graci," she said to the Vongola guardians, "Thank you, though that isn't my best routine. I can do-"

"Save some for the presentation, Gianetta!" Leonardo slipped a hand over the girl's lips. "We don't want to spoil the surprise, do we?"

"You mean the special performance, boss?"

In strolled another girl, though this one was older than Gianetta. She had tanned skin, and long, black hair that ran all the way to her hips, though it was tied back in two ponytails. The young lady wore green pants that went to her mid-shin, and a tight, yellow top; she had no shoes on. Her eyes were covered by a pair of black glasses not unlike the ones that the ladies from Cervello were made to wear. A long, dusty cape flowed behind her as she strode in. It was the guitar case that she was carrying, however, that made her recognizable to Yamamoto.

"Ah! You're that blind girl from earlier!"

"Sí, amigo, I am Selena Perez, the Musica Guardian of the Mestiero Famiglia." The girl bowed, then rose up again and coolly walked over to Leonardo's left, where she took a seat. She pulled her guitar out of its case and played a few notes on it.

Gokudera looked at her and asked, "Aren't those the notes that Leonardo played earlier?"

"Sí," she replied, "but he's so bad that the others aren't going to know what he meant."

"Darlin' why do you have to hurt me like that?" Leo asked, a mocking frown on his face. Selena just smiled and bashed him in the head with a flute that she pulled out of her back pocket.

"Hi Selena!" Gianetta screeched.

"Yo, Gianetta."

Leo looked around the room for a moment before shouting, "Come on out, Brian!"

A young man, who seemed older than the gathered Vongola boys, dropped down from the ceiling and readjusted his glasses. He wore thick, horn-rimmed glasses, a dark-blue sweater, and brown khakis, with brown shoes on his feet. In his pale hands were a pen and notepad, the latter of which was filled with words and scribbles.

"How'd you know I was there, Simoni?" the boy asked, brushing away his messy, black hair. "I was stealthier than ever!"

"I could spot you there from a mile away," Leonardo responded. "Besides, it's rude to spy on our guests without telling them!"

Brian turned to the Vongolas and his face turned stoic. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm Brian Griffin, the Lettertura Guardian."

"You're a writer?" Gokudera asked as he sat in his seat, "Seems kind of weak, no offense."

"The pen is mightier than the sword, Smokin' Bomb Gokudera. After all, I have enough information on you to fill a book!"

"Making threats again, Brian?" asked a light, musical voice.

The writer turned to the door and scoffed. "What if I am, Yvonne?"

The newest addition to the room was a girl with honey-colored hair, who wore a black dress that went all the way to her heels. Her hair was pulled back from her face, revealing two lovely, blue eyes and a charming smile. When she spoke there seemed to be a melody to it.

"That wouldn't be very ni~ce!" she exclaimed as she flew through the room her arms spread wide. "Catch me, Brian!"

"Are you nuts?!"

She stuck her tongue out at the writer. "Just kidding! Relax, seriously."

Tsuna leaned over to Reborn and whispered into his tutor's ear, "Reborn, are you sure these guys are mafia?"

"Absolutely. Yvonne is, in fact, a deadly spy and assassin, who uses her voice to affect the tide of battle."

"Re-really?!"

"Oui, monsieur Vongola!" Yvonne now stood over Tsuna and had a most serious scowl on her face. "I am the Voce Guardian of the Mestiero Family, and don't you forget it!"

"Y-Yes ma'am!"

While the Mestiero Guardians were fooling around, another woman entered through the door, though she was more different than the other three. This girl was more, shall we say, full-figured, and had a softer, fuller physique than the others; not that she was fat, just a little curvy. She wore a gray, hooded sweatshirt and a pair of blue jeans that had several paint stains on them. A pair of glasses rested on her nose, and her peach-colored face was framed by her auburn hair which fell down on both sides. In her hands was a cup of coffee bought at the shop across the street. A pair of dingy white sneakers was wrapped around her feet, and she had a slightly sour look on her face.

"Tch, fooling around again? I swear, you guys are like something out of a manga or something."

Leonardo glanced over at the door and smiled. "Ah, Marie, so glad you could join us! Won't you take a seat?"

"Go to hell, Simoni."

"Already there, darlin'."

The young woman casually strode over to the group and gave a weak wave toward Tsuna and his friends. "Yo, what's up? I'm Marie Gogh, the Arte Guardian according to this bozo here," she said as she gestured to Leonardo.

"You're the bozo who accepted, y'know."

"And I've been kicking myself ever since then."

Yamamoto looked back and forth between the two and asked, "Do you two always do this?"

"No," they both replied at the same time.

"Of course they do!" Gianetta launched herself at her boss and Marie and embraced them both in a hug. "That's how they show that they love each other!"

"Gianetta, you're, uh, stranglin' me, darlin'."

Marie sighed and turned to Ryohei. "I'll give you a thousand dollars if you kill me right now."

"Why would I do that?" the boy replied.

The painter slapped herself in the face and groaned, "I'm surrounded by idiots…"

"That's not nice, Marie!"

Leo looked to the door and managed to gasp out, "Hallelujah, it's Marilyn, the Interpretazione Guardian!"

Standing in the doorway was a girl that looked very similar to Gianetta, except her hair was darker and was incredibly short. Marilyn was clad in a green tube-top that stop just above her navel, and had a small white coat over that. She had a pair of black shorts that barely covered her rear end and a pair of teal flip-flops underneath.

Marilyn smiled and waved to the Vongolas before screaming, "GIA!"

Gianetta screamed, "MARI!" and released Leo and Marie from her grip as she charged at Marilyn and embraced her in a hug. "Ohmygawd, I haven't seen you in…what, two hours?"

"Too long, I know!" Both girls giggled ecstatically and bounced up and down, with all of the Vongolas watching with interest, save for one.

Chrome sniffed in jealousy and turned her nose up at the two girls. "Look at them," she thought to herself, "flaunting their bodies about. It's sickening!" Ordinarily, Chrome would not have been bothered by such trivial things, but for some reason the combination of all these girls in one place set her off and made her feel envious. She wrapped her arms around her own, noticeably thinner, body, and curled up into her chair.

Tsuna, meanwhile, took a look around the room at the gathered Guardians: Gianetta and Marilyn were bouncing up and down excitedly, Brian was perched in his chair, recording everything that transpired, Marie was leaning against the wall, her paint-stained hands tapping against the wall, and Selena was playing on her guitar while Yvonne sang along.

Leonardo returned to his chair and asked Tsuna, "So what do you think, Vongola?"

"It's very, um, eclectic, I guess."

The Mestiero boss laughed. "That it is, I suppose; that it is!" Then he leaned back in the chair and kicked his feet up onto the podium. "By the way, uh…"

"Yes, Leonardo?"

"Can we stay at your house?" the boss asked sheepishly.

"WHAT?!?"

Marie got off the wall and firmly planted a hand on Leo's head as she said, "The "Renaissance Man" forgot to book some rooms at a hotel, so we've got nowhere to stay. Think you can put up with us for the night?"

Again, Tsuna looked around before sighing and putting his face in his hands.

"Why me?" he groaned as he felt a migraine coming on.


	3. Target 3: What Happened Here?

**Incontri le Famiglie**

By The Mauve Lantern

**Target 3: What Happened Here?**

Tsuna Sawada gazed over his destroyed kitchen with a mix of shock and terror. His right-hand man, Hayato Gokudera, was curled up into a fetal position in the corner of the room, foam ringing his mouth. Takeshi Yamamoto was behind Tsuna, draped across the banister of the staircase; in his hands was a sleeping I-Pin. Plastered against the kitchen table, or what remained of it, were Ryohei Sasagawa and Lambo; the two of them were completely unconscious. Unfortunately, he did not have time to tend to his hard-partying friends, for he had to get his Mist Guardian, Chrome Dokuro, to a doctor.

As he carried the purple-haired illusionist, who was clad in a man's suit, out the door, the young Vongola boss asked himself, "What the hell happened tonight?!"

***

_Several hours earlier…_

"Remind me again why we're having the Mestiero Famiglia over for dinner?" asked Tsuna as he set out the extra dishes at the kitchen table.

"It's polite, boss," said Gokudera, who was busy helping Tsuna's mother to prepare said dinner. "In the mafia, when a guest comes to visit you, you must be cordial and treat them with kindness and hospitality!"

"But why couldn't we take them to a restaurant or something?!"

"'Cause that would be rude, Tsuna."

Reborn strode into the room, dressed in a fine tuxedo. In his hands was a clipboard. "Let's see," he mumbled, "Yamamoto's bringing over a platter of sushi, Ryohei is bringing a platter of spare ribs, and Bianchi is being made to stay far away from tonight's dinner Everything looks to be in order."

Tsuna asked his mentor, "So, who's coming to the dinner?"

"Just your guardians and Leo and his guardians. Also, Lambo will be needing his ten-year-later bazooka, so someone needs to find that stupid cow and shoot him."

"I'll do it!" Gokudera shouted as he flipped around the curry he was preparing. "Please give me a reason to hurt that stupid cow, Mister Reborn!" To emphasize, Gokudera pulled out a stick of dynamite from his jacket.

Before Tsuna could tell his Storm Guardian to not go anywhere near Lambo, he went to go answer a knock on the door. "Don't tell me they're here already!" he said in his mind. "It's not even four o'clock yet, and the dinner's at seven!" When he answered the door, Tsuna was genuinely surprised; not because it was the Mestiero Famiglia, but because it was Chrome, his Mist Guardian.

"Good evening, boss," she whispered. She was clad in her usual Kokuyo High School uniform, mid-riff-bearing shirt and all.

"Ah, come in, Chrome." Tsuna smiled, for he knew that the violet-haired girl was the quietest of his guardians. This meant that things would be quiet for just a little while longer until the others arrived.

Reborn looked over at Chrome from the kitchen doorway and shook his head. "Chrome, I'm afraid we can't have you wearing that at this dinner. Everyone is to be dressed in their finest clothes."

She blushed. "I-I'm sorry, Mister Reborn; this is all I had to wear."

"How cruel are those guys?" Tsuna asked in his mind, thinking about Ken and Chikusa, Chrome's unofficial guardians.

"No worries: I've got some extra suits that were for Tsuna's other guardians. You can borrow one for the evening. Leon, take her to my briefcase." The lizard on Reborn's hat nodded and hopped down to the floor. He glanced up at Chrome, making eye contact with her, before scuttling up the stairs.

Chrome squeaked out a meek "Thank you" before she ran after the surprisingly fast lizard.

Reborn shook his head and said to Tsuna, "We will need to have a talk with the two bozos that're taking care of that girl."

"Why?"

"Tsuna, she's one of your guardians but she doesn't even have a decent set of clothing. Those two, animal-guy and yo-yo freak, need to be taught some manners, don't you think?"

The young Vongola nodded. He didn't know much about Chrome Dokuro, but he did know that if she was being abused by Mukuro's lackeys, he would definitely give them a lesson in manners. "Actually," he said to his tutor, "I really don't know Chrome at all."

"Is that a problem?"

"Surprisingly…no. She doesn't feel like a threat, y'know? I mean, she may resemble Mukuro slightly, but she doesn't give off such a dark aura." Reborn bowed his head, not really paying attention to his student anymore, though he made a mental note to speak with Miss Dokuro later, after the dinner was finished. The two of them got back to work, only to be interrupted in their duties by a scream, followed by a thump, thump, thump down the stairs.

Worried that something had happened, Tsuna ran out to the foyer, only to find Brian Griffin, the Lettertura guardian of the Mestiero Famiglia, crumpled in a heap at the bottom of the stairs. His glasses were broken, and the plain brown suit that he wore was very dingy and looked worse for the wear. When Tsuna looked up the stairs, he found a very flustered and almost half-naked Chrome, whose whole face was covered in a massive blush; if he looked hard enough, Tsuna thought he could actually see steam coming out of her ears. She was in the middle of dressing, so she was clad only in a halfway-buttoned white shirt and a pair of white underwear. Chrome squeaked in surprise when she realized that her boss was looking at her, and she covered herself as best she could.

"Sorry, boss!" she shrieked in a very high voice before running back down the hallway to finish changing.

Tsuna stood frozen to the floor for a moment. A line of blood trickled down from his nose as the image of his Mist guardian flashed through his mind. He remained rooted in that spot, spaced out, before Reborn passed him a handkerchief.

"Wipe away that blood, you pervert," he said to Tsuna.

"Huh- wha-" He blinked his eyes and regained his bearings. Then, Tsuna looked down at his feet and saw the Mestiero Guardian that was lying at his feet. "Oh my god!" he shouted. "We need to help this guy!"

Brian began to stir. "Oh, don't worry about me, Vongola Decimo," he said as he ruffled his black hair, "I'll be all right."

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine. Just, uh, do you have anything to drink?"

"What would you like?" asked Reborn.

"I'll take any kind of vodka. Do you have any?"

Tsuna chuckled out of nervousness. "I'm afraid we don't. At the most, I think we just have sweet sake for you and the other Mestiero." Brian stared at the young Vongola boss as if he had just grown a second head.

The Lettertura Guardian sighed heavily. "Okay, I'm gonna need to see the kitchen."

"Wh-What for?"

"I'm going to make my own martini. Want me to show you?"

"I can't drink!"

"I prefer not to work drunk."

Brian shrugged his shoulders. "You're loss," he said as he wandered into the kitchen. Tsuna noticed that he seemed a little tipsy, so he followed the young man.

When they entered the kitchen, Brian walked up to Nana Sawada and asked, "Ma'am, do you have any martini glasses in the house?"

"My mother doesn't drink though," Tsuna said in his mind.

"Oh, sure!" Nana reached into one of the cabinets and pulled out a martini glass, perfect for what Brian was looking for. "Take it, I've got plenty!"

"'Preciate it," the young man said as he walked past Tsuna, who stood agape.

He shouted, "Mom, why do you have so many martini glasses?!"

"They're just perfect for when I have my parties with my friends on the weekends!" joked Nana as she returned to the kitchen. Tsuna had to wonder for a moment if his mother was kidding or not; chances are she bought them on impulse. He then remembered exactly what it was he wanted to ask Brian.

"What are you doing here?" he asked the Guardian as he watched the man pull out ingredients from the kitchen.

Brian looked up from his work and pulled out a pen. "I was gathering research for my data log. Since I'm in town, I figured I might as well build up an entry on the new Vongola family."

Reborn hopped up onto the counter. "What do you have so far?"

The Guardian removed a notepad from his jacket along with another pair of glasses. He put the glasses on and read from the journal, "_Tsuna Sawada: future Vongola boss. Victorious in the battle for the Sky Ring, not so much in the rest of his life._"

"Hey!"

Brian continued to read. "_His room is an awkward mixture of clean and filthy. On the one side, everything is spotless, and there is not a single speck of dust to be found. The other side seems to have been decimated by an explosion of some sort: clothes spewed everywhere, bed unmade, and a stray soda can complete the perfect picture of a teenager's room._"

Tsuna grabbed for the notepad, but Brian held it just out his reach. Reborn ignored this conflict and asked, "Interesting. Now, can it be assumed that your information-gathering is the reason why Chrome, our Mist Guardian, kicked you down the stairs?"

"Ah, yeah, that was…that was my bad," the spy muttered as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "I kind of…accidentally, mind you…saw her while she was changing."

"You WHAT?!?" Tsuna shouted.

"_Chrome Dokuro,_" said Brian as he read from his notepad again, "_a violet-haired enigma that carries with her an aura of mystery. Her body is thin and pale, yet there are petite curves on her fragile frame. Her breasts, like-_" Before Brian finished reading the entry, a trident pierced the paper and nearly struck him in the eye.

"What the hell?!" he yelled as he tossed the notepad down. Standing in the entry to the kitchen was a very red and out of breath Chrome Dokuro. She was no longer wearing the Kokuyo High School Uniform; instead, she was clad in a suit that was meant for Ryohei Sasagawa, in case he forgot to wear one. The suit consisted of a simple white shirt, black trousers, polished black shoes, a long and narrow black tie that was not put on properly, and a black jacket that was much too large for the Mist Guardian's frail form. With her embarrassed demeanor, the whole outfit made Chrome look and feel like a child wearing grown-up's clothing.

She stood there, trying to catch her breath, and tears began to well up in her eyes. "B-b-b-boss," she whispered, "I-I-I…" Chrome ran off, back upstairs, leaving behind a bewildered Brian, an irritated Reborn, and a confused Tsuna.

The Tenth Vongola knew what to do at that moment. He reached out, grabbed the notepad and trident from Brian. With a quick rip, he tore out Chrome's weapon and the page that held her information. The Lettertura Guardian snapped out of his trance and said, "Sawada, I'm…I'm really sorry."

"Don't apologize to him," Reborn told him. "Apologize to Chrome. Tsuna, go upstairs and see if she's all right; I'll take care of things down here." When Tsuna walked out of the room, the hitman turned to Brian.

He said to the spy, "Griffin, unless you want to die, you shouldn't spy on the women of the Vongola."

"They're that powerful?" the guardian asked.

"Yes, but the men are even more powerful, and they will rip you apart. Just keep that in mind while you're here for the night." Reborn left on that note. Brian just stood in his spot, hid knees trembling from fear.

***

Tsuna knocked on his bedroom door. "Chrome? Chrome, are you in there?"

There was a sound of sniffling and shoes scuffling on the floor. "B-Boss?"

"Look, I'm sorry about what happened with Griffin; he's going to apologize, so…so could you come out now?"

The door was cracked open slightly, revealing Chrome's large, violet iris. It was obvious that she had been crying. "I…I can't come out, boss."

"Why not?"

"Because," she said as her eye looked down, "I can't get this tie on properly."

The Vongola boss paused and smiled. "Is that all?" he thought. He asked the illusionist, "Do you want me to come in and help?"

She nodded and opened the door up. Tsuna walked in, taking note of how silly Chrome looked in a man's suit. "She looks sort of cute, too…" he said in his mind before blushing incredibly. "Wait, what am I thinking?! Just 'cause she's looks so awkward, yet adorable- GAH!"

"Boss, is there a reason you're hitting your head with your fists?"

"Ah! No-no, no reason! Let's help you with that tie!" he exclaimed a bit loudly. Tsuna stepped closer to Chrome and held up her tie. "Here, we just loop it over a couple of times, bring it up from the top, and then slide it through the loops. There we go!" Chrome's tie was still far from perfect, but it was not as bad as before.

The violet-haired girl bowed her head. "Thank you, boss," she whispered.

"You're, uh, you're wel-"

Tsuna stopped when he felt Chrome's lips touch his cheek. Immediately, a ferocious blush overtook his face, and he backed away excitedly. "Woah, what was that?!"

"I was just doing it to be polite, boss," said Chrome. "Do you not like it?"

"What? No! I just, er…"

Before he had to explain himself any further, he heard a terrific roar from downstairs. "WHERE'S SAWADA?! I WANT TO CHALLENGE HIM TO A BOXING MATCH!"

"Shut up, lawn-head! The boss is busy right now!"

"What did you just call me, OCTOPUS-HEAD?!"

"Tsuna!" shouted Reborn from the kitchen, "Come get your moronic guardians out into the backyard!"

The boy sighed heavily. "This is going to be very difficult for me, isn't it, Chrome?"

"Most likely, boss."

"Best to stop him before someone gets hurt." Tsuna walked downstairs with Chrome and caught Ryohei and Gokudera being held apart by Reborn and Brian, respectively. Ryohei was growling ferociously, like a caged animal. Lambo was jumping up and down on the kitchen table, shouting his head off.

"He's a kangaroo!" the infantile boy shouted. "But he's a kanga-poo compared to the mighty Lambo! BWA-HAHA-HA!"

Reborn looked up. "Hallelujah, it's the boss. Show some respect, you ingrates." Ryohei and Gokudera backed down reluctantly, though Lambo still bounced around on the table.

"You too, you dumb cow," Reborn hissed as he hurled a fork into Lambo's head. The cow-like boy began to cry heavily. He ran over to Tsuna and clung onto the boy's leg, his tears staining Tsuna's pants. Tsuna sighed and grabbed the boy by his fake horns and tore him away from his leg. It's not that he wasn't fond of Lambo or anything; it was just that some of his antics could get on his nerves.

Ryohei smiled and said, "Good to see you again, Sawada! Kyoko sends her best!"

"Thanks, Ryohei!"

"Sorry about the fighting, it's just that- I BROUGHT SPARERIBS!" Ryohei seemed to lose his train of thought and presented Tsuna with a large dish filled to the brim with meat.

"Uh, thanks."

Ryohei set the dish down on an empty spot on the counter. He then turned to Griffin and told him, "You're pretty strong! I like that in a guy! We should have a FIGHT!"

"Thanks, but I'll pass." The Mestiero took a sip from his martini glass. "I'm not the parallel to your flame element. You want the sun? You want to fight Gianetta."

"Gotcha! Hey, Sawada, who's the girly guy behind you?!"

Tsuna slapped his own forehead in frustration. This whole evening screamed of a headache, and he was fairly certain that there was going to be pain on his part.

***

Not long after Tsuna explained that Chrome was simply wearing men's clothing, Yamamoto had shown up with a dish of sushi in hand. He was greeted by a hyper-active Lambo, who nearly made him drop the dish as the little boy ran circles around his legs. While Yamamoto helped himself to some snacks and a soda, Tsuna had answered the door. Hibari had arrived, his pet, Hibird, settling upon his shoulder.

"I come and go as I please," he had said as he drank a decaffeinated coffee. "If you have a problem with that, I could just kill you and then leave." Hibari was then left to his own devices for the evening. He had nearly beaten Lambo to a pulp on more than one occasion, but so had everyone.

An hour after tying Lambo into a chair, the Mestiero began to arrive. A black limousine rolled up on the street outside of Tsuna's house. Before anyone got out of the car, the little boy that had taken Tsuna's picture earlier ran around the side and began to take picture from a large camera. A tall gentleman stepped out of the limo, carrying a rolled up carpet. He set the carpet down in front of the door near the end of the car. The chauffer gracefully stepped to the side, and the door opened up.

First came the blue-haired dancer, Gianetta, who was wearing a sparkling, blue dress, blue high-heels, and a white scarf. The dress was slit up the front, revealing almost the entire length of her white leg. Her face was done up in a nearly ridiculous amount of make-up, and when she smiled, it seemed to reflect the glare of the setting sun. She was giggling excitedly, and when she stepped onto the red carpet, she twirled around on the heels of her shoes.

Immediately following the dancer was the actress, Marilyn. She was just as elegantly clad as her friend Gianetta: a green, sleeveless gown that flowed down to her heels, forest-green high heels that had gemstones on the straps, and her emerald hair was pulled back from her face into a ponytail. Around Marilyn's neck was a golden necklace that carried a gemstone in the center, and she also wore matching bracelets and earrings. Like her friend, she also had on a ridiculous amount of make-up, and her smile was enough to blind someone.

"What a darling house!" she exclaimed. "Don't you think so, Selena?"

"Nice one, genius."

Out came Selena, the Musica Guardian, clad in brown sandals, a chocolate-colored dress that went to the top of her knees, and a shawl around her head. She was wearing her dark glasses; strapped to her back was a guitar. Her black hair was pulled back from her face by a pair of clips in her hair. She was smiling broadly.

"Evening, Miss Perez!" said Yamamoto.

"Please, amigo, call me 'Selena'."

The baseball player nodded. "Will do, Selena!"

While Selena walked to the door, a heavenly sound fell across the lawn: it was like the softest, sweetest bird singing the saddest melody on Earth. The source was Yvonne, the Voce Guardian, who was serenading the Mestiero Famiglia with an Italian aria. Yvonne was still wearing her black gown, though now she had her honey-colored hair pinned up by a pair of needles. Her voluptuous figure filled out the gown and drew stares from all of the men on the lawn, save for Lambo and Hibari.

The last ones to climb out of the car were Marie Gogh, the plainest and most ordinary Guardian of the Mestiero family. She was wearing a suit not unlike Chrome's: black tie, black pants and jacket, white shirt and a black belt. The painter was not wearing much make-up, if any. She trudged across the lawn, shouting at Leo, who had yet to climb out of the limousine.

"I can't believe you changed your look JUST before coming to the dinner!" she hollered. "We could have gotten here sooner if you weren't such a basketcase!"

"I'm taking that as a compliment."

Leonardo stepped out of the limousine in all of his splendor. He had miraculously changed from resembling an Elvis impersonator to something entirely else. Where he once looked like the King of Rock, Leo was now clad in all black: a black jacket, black shirt, black tie, etc. The Mestiero boss was now pale, and, for some reason, had a goatee sprouting from his chin. His brown hair had turned black and now hung over his face, covering his eyes in the process.

"Don't." said Marie. "You look ridiculous."

Leo pointed over to Gianetta and Marilyn. "You're just jealous because you couldn't look that good in a dress."

"You SON OF A B-"

Reborn clapped his hands. "Okay, if everyone is here, may we begin the supper?"

"Sure!"

"Of course!"

"EXTREME FINE DINING!"

"Trés bien!"

"Supper time!"

"Am I the only one who noticed that Leonardo looks like a completely different person?"

Everybody turned to face Tsuna.

"No, boss, that's how he's always looked!"

"You really ought to notice this stuff more, Tsuna!"

"FIX YOUR EYES, SAWADA!"

"I don't give a damn."

"I think you're right, boss…"

***

All in all, the dinner was a complete success. The sushi that Yamamoto's father had prepared was excellent, Ryohei's spare ribs were enjoyed by all, and even Hibari complimented Tsuna's mother on the ramen she had prepared. The one incident of the evening, when Lambo started farting, was averted when Reborn removed the Ten-Year Bazooka and shot the boy, turning him into his handsome, more mature fifteen-year-old self.

"Aw man, you guys are having a party and you invited me? You're the best." Teenage Lambo brushed aside one of his dark locks of hair. "Except for you, Reborn. You suck. A lot."

"Sit down and eat your meal, you retarded cow."

"Yes, sir!"

Leo had regaled the table in a riveting tale of how he had managed to free Gianetta from a prison cell in Paris, and Tsuna told the Mestiero family about exactly what had happened during the Ring Tournament. When he got to the part about the Cervello girls, Leo had cringed.

"You'd do best to avoid them, Vongola. The Cervello work for the highest bidder, and they can make your life a living hell if you let them."

"Really?"

"Make no mistake: if some big upstart were to raise some hell in the mafia world, the Cervello would side with him right away."

"AHEM!"

"Or her, thank you for reminding me, Marie."

When the meal finished, Reborn suggested something that made Tsuna question his tutor's sanity. "Well, shall we have a battle?"

"Are you crazy?! We're not having a fight in my house!"

"If you wanted to not have your trash housed, you should have held the dinner elsewhere."

"You never gave me another option!"

Leo clapped his hands. "Excellent idea, Tsuna! We'll split up our families by what our attributes match up with. Gianetta shall duel your Sun Guardian, Selena will combat your Rain Guardian, Brian will tussle with your Cloud Guardian, Yvonne will challenge your Thunder Guardian, Marie shall engage your Storm Guardian, and Marilyn will, shall we say, "mingle" with your Mist Guardian." He raised his arms up high. "And you, Sawada, shall have the honor of fighting ME!"

Hibari muttered under his breath, "I don't want to fight the weakling."

"I'm a lot tougher than you would think, kid. After all, the pen is mightier than the sword, or in this case, the tonfa."

The families immediately split up. Before they could engage in a battle, however, Tsuna shouted, "WAIT!" Everyone stopped in their steps.

"Instead of destroying my house, why don't you all just give us a brief demonstration of your talents?"

The Guardians looked back and forth between each other. They all nodded eventually, and Leo clapped his hands. "This works just as well!" he exclaimed. "Everyone, to the TV room!" The large group of Mafioso migrated to the television room, where they each found their seats. Gianetta did not sit down however; she chose to stand.

"LetmegofirstcanIgofirstIwanttogofirrrrrrrssssssssstttttttt!"

"Gia," said Leo nonchalantly, "why don't you go first?"

"Yay!"

The dancer cleared a space in the floor to make sure she had room. "I would like to show you my Terror Twister, if that's all right!"

"Go right ahead," said Reborn as he sat patiently on the couch.

"Here I go!" Gracefully, she kicked herself off the floor and began to spin. Soon, Gianetta was picking up speed, and she quickly became a blur of blue. She was spinning so fast that there were objects in the room that began to pick up from the winds.

"How does she stop?!" shouted Tsuna over the noise of the miniature tornado.

"It takes a few minutes!" Leo responded as he watched in apathy. "Could be five; could be ten!"

Gianetta then lifted off of the ground and leaned to the right, tearing through a bookcase and then knocking over a green vase. She spun out of control and knocked over other things in the room before she found her way out through one of the doorways. The room was left in shambles, with papers and trash scattered everywhere.

"Should we continue?" Leo asked Tsuna.

The boy sighed. "I don't think I've got much of a choice."

This time, Selena was the one to get up. She grabbed her guitar and began to strum a few notes on it. "I haven't seen any action for a while," she said, "so if I seem a little rusty, just let me know." Her fingers began to run along the strings, playing an exotic, erratic tune. The melody was unlike anything Tsuna and his friends had ever heard; it resonated in their minds, and, as Ryohei would say several days later, it was stuck in their heads.

Unfortunately, like Gianetta, she seemed to lose control over her guitar. As the song went faster and faster, Tsuna began to notice that various things in the room were trembling and shaking. These objects, like his shoes or the carpet, were warping and twisting depending on how the song went.

"She's really good!" Yamamoto said as he clapped his hands. "Can you use it in a fight?"

"Sí, amigo."

Selena strummed out several more notes and then screamed, "DESERT STORM!" The music burst from the guitar explosively, and the objects that were warping before trembled before bursting into pieces. When the guitarist finally stopped, most everyone's shoes were gone, and the carpet had several holes in it. The Mestiero all applauded, while the Vongola clapped their hands politely.

Before anyone else moved, Hibari stood up. "I've had enough of this," he said, "I'm going home. You better show up at school tomorrow." Before he walked out the backdoor, the sound of Bianchi's shouting could be heard.

"No, I-Pin! We're not supposed to go back in yet! Wait!"

The pint-sized assassin burst into the room, a ribbon in her hand. She was giggling and speaking Chinese very quickly. I-Pin looked around and said, "Nî hâo!" to everyone in the room. She then locked eyes with Hibari, who was wondering what a Chinese midget was doing in the house. A burst of red scattered across her face, and her eyes shut. Nine symbols appeared on her forehead, and her body began to glow.

"Somebody get her out of here!" Tsuna shouted.

"Whatever," Hibari murmured as he left through the back door. "This has nothing to do with me."

"Give her to me!" Marie took I-Pin in her arms and pulled out a paint set that was in her coat pocket. There were only seven symbols on her head now. Quickly, the artist drew a brush from her coat and dabbed red ink on the tip. She swiftly marked an elaborate bar on I-Pin's head.

She set the girl down. "That's the Sealing Mark," she said as she put her supplies away. "She won't do anything now."

"Marie," said Reborn, "the paint's coming off."

"What?!"

Marie looked at I-Pin and saw that the paint was indeed wearing off. She was down to just five symbols. Thinking quickly, she shouted, "Vongola! What do we do?!"

"Everyone, duck and cover! Yamamoto, try and get her out of here!"

The entire party split up, and Yamamoto picked up I-Pin and ran with her to the stairs. He did not even get past the first few steps before the symbols on the Chinese girl's head went down to one…

***

So here was Tsuna. Gokudera was curled up in the corner, having seen Bianchi run into the room just before the explosion; Ryohei and Lambo were sprawled upon the kitchen table, which had been their shield; Chrome was on Tsuna's back, since she was caught in the blast while trying to get away. All in all, the party had been a disaster.

"That was so much fun, Tsuna!"

Leo stood up off the ground and dusted off his clothes. "We really should do this again sometime! It's a shame I couldn't fight you."

"Somebody, help me…"

The Mestiero boss walked around to the side of the room and lifted a bookcase off of Brian's body. "Brian, are you okay?" he asked.

"Uh, I'll be fine in the morning," the writer replied. "I'll get the girls."

"Splendid!" Leo turned to Tsuna. "Oh, I forgot to tell you, Tsuna. While on our way here, we ran into Dino, of the Chiavarone Famiglia, and he offered to let us stay at his hotel! Turns out we won't be needing to stay here after all!"

"Thank God," Tsuna said in his mind.

Brian came back into the room with Gianetta, and the rest of the family appeared from underneath the rubble. "We'll be seeing you!" Leo exclaimed as they all headed out the door. With one last slam, the bizarre Mestiero Famiglia was gone from Tsuna's house. The young Vongola sighed. How was he to fix the house for the NEXT guests?

"Worry about that later," said Reborn. "You need to take Chrome to Doctor Shamal."

"Okay, but I'm not leaving her alone with him."

"Good call."

***

When Tsuna left the house, he did not notice the large shadow that was sitting above him in a tree. The shadow chuckled grimly. "The new Vongola is weak, shi-shi-shi! He'll be perfect meat for the boss!" It leaped off the branch and sped off into the night, off towards the riverside bridge, where the boss of the Mezzanote Famiglia was waiting.


	4. Mafia People Dear Reader

Mafia People, Dear Reader…

Hello to any and all fans of Incontri le Famiglie! You may have noticed that the story hasn't been updated since…early February. That's a really freaking long time between updates. The problem is three-fold: one, I was very lazy for most of the time; two, when I wasn't being lazy, I was busy getting things wrapped up for exam week; three, I ran out of ideas. Not good at all. The first two can easily be fixed (one already has), but the third one, well, that requires me to do something I've never done before: asking the fan base for help.

So, here's how the story is: Tsuna is going to be spending the week meeting with various mafia bosses of all kinds. He has met one family that centers around the arts, and the next one will focus upon a very dark and morose family called the Mezzanote Famiglie. As far as the rest of the week goes, I have an idea for another family, but that's it. One more and I'm out of ideas. This is where you guys come in…

If you have an idea for a mafia family, send me a PM containing information on the family (doesn't have to be much), and I'll put them into the story. Each family needs to have: a boss, no more than seven "guardians", and, if you so desire, some underlings who will make cameos. There needs to be an underlying theme to them all (like how the Vongola's guardians and boss are based around the sky and such). To those that get selected, the family will be placed in the story and I will acknowledge the creators.

Once I get some free time on my hands (I'm working two jobs this summer), I will get back to the story. In the meanwhile, please check out my other works!

Thanks,

The Mauve Lantern


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